Chasing Wonders: Exploring Oriental Negros

When your weekday life is nothing but office and apartment, having a weekend far from the hustle and bustle of the city will surely be a good breather. And if you are based in Cebu City, you are lucky to have a lot of options to consider for a weekend getaway. Go far north and experience pristine beaches, down south and chase waterfall or take it a little farther and explore nearby provinces. If you are having a hard time on deciding where to go, this post might help you make up your mind.

Allow me to take you approximately 180 kms away from Cebu City. To the easygoing province of Negros Oriental, the other half of Negros Island. Usually people recognize only its provincial capital, the City of Dumaguete. And this is primarily because it is the starting point in exploring the province. It has a vibrant night life, so if you want to grind that booty and shake those hips then you should book your overnight accommodation in this city. Dumaguete per se is already a perfect hideaway. With its cool vibes, gentle people and delectable food… what else will you ask for?

Let’s start exploring this province. First on our itinerary…

APO ISLAND

Into the blue.

Apo Island is a volcanic island located in the town of Dauin, a 7 kilometers drive down south from Dumaguete City. It is a famous diving spot and marine reserve. I have not tried diving in Apo Island, I had snorkeling activities instead. And for me, this is the best snorkeling site that I have been to. You see marine life diversity in its finest. You can free dive atop large table-top corals. You can find Nemo, a lot of them. And of course, swim with the most popular marine creature in Apo Island – the Sea Turtles or locally known as Pawikan.

Apo Island's friendly local.

Floating in clear blue.

After hours of snorkeling, my squad decided to go to the beach and chill. Like most island in Visayas, Apo Island boosts white sand beaches and clear blue waters. We had a lot of fun walking along the beach and taking photos.

Apo's white sand beach.

Apo Island squad enjoying the beach.

Apo Island from afar.

If you seek for more adrenaline rush, you can climb and cliff dive in Apo’s Baluarte Rock Formation. Though I only would recommend this on High Tide as the water could be too shallow sometimes. One thing amazing about this rock formation is that you can see the volcanic nature of the island as steady streams of bubbles erupt from the sand and shimmers as they catch the sunlight. Too bad I did not capture it on a photo.

My friend Andreas climbing the Baluarte Rock for cliff diving.

Apo Island's Baluarte Rock formation. Apo's most famous landmark.

Exploring and enjoying Apo Island is a whole day activity. This can be a very tiring one so make sure you have enough food and booze to fuel you up. And of course, nothing beats a good company. We headed back to Dumaguete City around 4PM in the afternoon and proceeded to our booked accommodation in The Flying Fish Hostel.

Flying Fish Hostel

Group photo in Flying Fish.

The Flying Fish is a new hostel located in Hibbard Avenue, Dumaguete City. The place is clean and cozy. And the people managing it are very nice. And they have a strong wifi connection too. The whole place is amazing. I highly recommend that you stay here when you are in Dumageute City. Check on the link for rates and booking.

The Flying Fish at night.

After a good night sleep, we are up for our next destination. This time we will be going North to the City of Bais.

The Manjuyod Sandbar

Maldives of the Philippines.

Dubbed by some travelers as “Maldives of the Philippines”, Manjuyod is definitely a beauty to behold. It’s like a white gem floating in the middle of clear blue water. This astonishing sandbar can only be seen on low tides. Here you can see three native cottages where you can put your stuff and valuable items while enjoying swimming in the area.

My friends strolling in its sandbar.

We were not so lucky on our visit. The weather did not cooperate that much, it was gloomy in our entire stay in Manjuyod but despite all that, still its awestrucking beauty did not disappoint us.

Life in the tropical country.

Where's my jet ski?

Manjuyod Sandbar can be accessed from Capinan Wharf in Bais City. From there you need to hire an outrigger boat to take you there for around 15 minutes. Aside from this sandbar, you may also do dolphin and whaleshark watching around this area. Boat fee starts at 2,500 for a group with a maximum of ten people.

Going to our boat.

At around noon we headed back to Dumaguete City for lunch. Then after eating, we are all energized to continue our exploring. Next activity is chasing waterfall. And our first stop…

Pulangbato Falls

Beautifully red.

Pulangbato Falls is located in Ocoy Valley in the town of Valencia. “Pulang Bato” are words in Visayan dialect that literally translates to RED ROCK. It is named so because of the waterfall’s seemingly red river water which is caused by the presence of natural reddish rocks found in the area. Pulangbato Falls is blessed with calm and refreshing waters.

Nature's wonder.

Pulangbato Falls is a multi-tiered waterfall. The most accessible is the lowest level. It is the one you see in the internet if you try to google it. I have decided to climb up the upper level of the waterfall to see a different picture of this wonder. The view that waited for me is worth all the sweat and the scratches I got for going there. The water is cold and the ambiance is so relaxing.

Next Stop…

Casaroro Falls

Tall, dark, handsome and dangerous.

I consider Casaroro Falls to be the highlight of my Negros Oriental expedition. I have visited Dumaguete numerous times already, planned to visit this waterfall many times and failed. But this time, I have finally met Valencia’s tall, dark, handsome but dangerous lead man. Despite steep trails, one should dare to go and be able to witness the genuine Casaroro charm.

Casaroro Falls is considered to be the most photographed waterfall in the entire Negros province. Casaroro is lodged deep into the rock crevices of the rugged Valencia mountains. With an astounding height of 100 feet, the water plunges into a deep cold basin before it flows down to a stream. The waterfall is considerably narrow, instead of the usual wide cascade, but this is precisely what makes Casaroro unique.

Let's swim?

Around the basin are natural boulders huge enough to rest any traveler’s weary feet. Casaroro Falls is a testament of nature’s magical prowess.

That sums up my weekend adventure in Negros oriental. If you got enticed to travel with this post fascinated by my photos please do upvote and resteem.

Regards,

@jhezontheroad